The Devil and the Sorcerer
by sudoku
Summary: Stephen found the Devil of Hell's Kitchen bleeding all over his dumpster. Sadly, with his new life, this scenario was not even in his top ten of weird. Is this a beginning of a new friendship? Part 3 of "The Adventures of Stephen Strange and His Super Awesome Cloak of Levitation."
1. Not on My Watch!

Stephen walked to the back alley of the sanctum with two trash bags. He could open a portal to the alley directly but he needed the walk to clear his head. He was still a doctor and he knew exercise was usually good for the body, mind, and he reluctantly added the spirit.

He remembered the times when he didn't need to do any chores. His housekeeper would make sure his penthouse apartment was immaculately clean. She sometime even prepared dinner although he usually just dined out when he remembered to eat.

He sometime missed his old life but he was not that kind of self-centered arrogant jerk anymore. At least he tried not to be. His old lifestyle was not suitable for the new-ish him.

He was deep in thought as he opened the dumpster. He nearly jumped out of his skin when a moan erupted from the dumpster. There was a man dressed in a devil red suit in the dumpster.

He closed his eyes and counted to ten. When he opened his eyes, the devil was still there. So it was not a dream. Sadly, with his new life, this scenario was not even in his top ten of weird.

Except for the occasional moaning, the devil seemed to be unconscious. He checked on his pulse. It was quite weak. This devil needed immediate medical help before he died from exsanguination. Nobody would die on his watch either as a doctor or a sorcerer!

* * *

-So apparently Stephen and Matt had met in the comics and were friends.

-I know I shouldn't start a new story given I have a lot of WIP but this relationship draws me in.

-It's unbetaed. Any feedback is welcome.


	2. A Strange Encounter

-Thanks for the favorites, comments, and follows. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint.

-Warning: Dodgy treatments for dodgy description of medical symptoms.

* * *

The first thing Matt realized when he regained consciousness was the dullness in his senses. He opened his eyes and tried to get up but immediately regretted doing so because a wave of dizziness washed over him. He also felt some pains at his chest and torso. He started to remember that he climbed into a dumpster to rest because he was too exhausted.

He immediately panicked and went to grab at his face mask. He was not surprised that it was gone. As he made some efforts to get up, he heard some fabric rustling. The weird thing was he didn't hear any heartbeat near the fabric. The rustling sound moved to the next room. Matt detected a heartbeat in the next room together with the rustling. Things didn't compute and he believed it was not because of his concussion.

As he was trying to get up, he heard footsteps coming into his room. He was about to stand when he heard a deep voice saying, "I'd advise against getting up if I were you Mr Murdock. You have a concussion and multiple fractured ribs. I also don't want your multiple stiches undone. Christine would kill me if it happened."

Matt went back to lie down on what he realized now was a soft bed. He analysed his situation. If that man wanted to hurt him, he would've done so. Why would he bother patching him up? Unless of course he wanted some information from him. But that didn't explain the soft bed and not a basement of some sorts.

"I'm sorry that I needed to take out your mask. You were bleeding heavily and I needed to clean them up."

Matt couldn't really argue with that. It was not like he had the choice. He hoped the guy was not the type to blab.

"Are you a doctor?"

"Yes." Matt heard a hint of hesitation. "Well, I'm a doctor. Doctor Stephen Strange. Although I don't practice medicine anymore. But it's neither here nor there. My medical knowledge is still here." Matt believed the man pointed at his own head.

"Thanks for patching me up then."

"Well, it's mostly Christine but I helped. Or rather I ordered her around." Matt could hear a hint of amusement at his voice. "Let me check your wounds."

Stephen sat down next to the bed and started to check on the Matt's bandages to see whether they needed any replacement. Matt could feel the faint tremors in the doctor's hands. A doctor with shaking hands, it was no wonder he didn't practice anymore. He wondered what happened. Matt certainly should get off his high horse since his hands were perfectly OK and he didn't practice law at the moment due to his own stupidity.

He also wondered about what kind of clothing the doctor was wearing as the fabric touched his skin. It didn't seem to be the usual T-shirt or shirt. It was made of leather so it was unconventional.

Stephen was done with this examination. "Well, I think all the bandages are still clean so you didn't pop anything trying to get up. What were you thinking?"

"I woke up in an unfamiliar environment so I panicked."

"Given your title, I thought you'd be used to this waking up in a _strange_ environment." Matt detected the man emphasized on the word strange so Matt chuckled. So apparently his host liked to joke, it was good to know.

"I guess you often use the Strange puns."

"Well, it's best if I use it first before others do."

"It's the best approach." He suddenly felt very thirsty.

Stephen must have noticed his discomfort. "Do you need any help?"

"Do you have any water?"

"I'll get it for you. Do you need any pain killers?"

"Definitely no. I can handle the pain."

Stephen chuckled at that statement. "I could relate to that." Matt found it weird because most doctors would insist on his patient taking pain killers. _What kind of doctor was his host?_

The doctor stood up and went to a room further from the room he was in before. He assumed that was the kitchen. He came back to the room and put a glass in a tray next to the bed. Matt touched the glass and discovered that Stephen put a straw with the glass so he could sip it lying down. He was thankful that Stephen was considerate enough not to treat him like an invalid because he was blind or injured.

After a few sips, he felt much better. "How do you know that I'm Matt Murdock?"

Matt heard light rustling of fabric that he predicted was a shrug. "Actually, I didn't know. Christine was the one telling me. She recognized you as one of the lawyers who brought down Wilson Fisk. I know you are the Devil of Hell's Kitchen and it was only because I occasionally glanced at the newspaper that my interns read."

"Do you not watch news or read newspaper?"

"I hardly had the time for that when I was a neurosurgeon. Now, I only follow certain news. Although I'm aware of the Avengers, it's hard not to when the aliens started to appear in New York."

So his host was a neurosurgeon. Matt got more curious. He also wondered what kind of news the doctor followed. He smiled. "Yes, it's kinda hard to miss even for a blind lawyer."

"A blind lawyer who happens to be a superhero as well."

"I'm not a superhero."

"The news begs to differ. Besides, you take down Fisk so you are a superhero in some people's eyes with or without costume."

"I don't have any superpowers like Thor or Iron Man."

"You don't need those powers to be a superhero," Stephen said wistfully. Matt got more curious as it seemed this subject was very personal to his host. "You seem to have kick-ass ninja skills even you're blind so I think those are your superpowers."

"You don't seem to be so surprised that I am blind and also Daredevil. Some people think I fake it. That's faking being blind, not being Daredevil." He still felt a stab of pain remembering what Foggy said. He knew Foggy didn't mean it but sometime it still hurt.

"As I said, it takes all sorts to be a hero. Not everything has to be flashy." Matt again detected some sad tones in Stephen's voice. "I think you need to rest."

"I can't stay here. I don't want to burden you."

"You're not supposed to get up until you fully recovered. You don't want Christine to kill me, do you?"

Matt wanted to argue but he was too tired. That actually proved Stephen's point. He actually had a lot of questions about Stephen but he wasn't sure if he'd answer them. He would ask the important ones first.

"Who is Christine? I heard you mentioning her a few times."

"She… She is my ex colleague. She is also a doctor. I couldn't do stitch your wounds due to my hands so I had to call her. Don't worry about your secret identity. It's safe with me and Christine. Now please just rest. I'd prepare something for you to eat."

Matt was relieved he didn't need to ask the next question as Stephen had answered it for him. He guessed he'd stay for one or more extra days to heal. He didn't want to impose on his host. But first he needed his emergency kit. He needed one more favor from Stephen.

"Doctor Strange, could you call Franklin Nelson for me? He has my stuff in case of emergency." He told Stephen Foggy's number that he had remembered by heart.

* * *

-I have never written a Daredevil fanfic in Matt's POV so I hope I pulled it through. Initially I wanted Matt to detect whether Stephen told any lie then I realized he didn't need to lie about anything at the moment. Of course the chapter didn't turn out as I wanted to but I hope it was /  
-I couldn't not write Foggy in a Daredevil's story. He is too /  
-As usual any feedback and comments are welcome.


	3. Friendly Meetings

-Unbetaed so please kindly point out any mistakes.  
-Warning: Questionable (due to the author's ignorance) caring practices for Matt's injuries.

* * *

Foggy was surprised, happy, angry in exactly that order when he got the call from Matt, or rather Matt's proxy. He hadn't heard from his best friend for a long time. Matt didn't return his calls. Foggy could get a hint so he just stayed away. He was happy that finally Matt contacted him. Then of course, the nature of the call was that Matt managed to get himself injured again so he was certainly upset-Matt only called him as a last resort. Well, at least he was still alive.

He was also surprised that the address the guy who called on Matt's behalf lived in Greenwich Village. That was not the usual place Matt did his Daredeviling. The name Stephen Strange sounded somewhat familiar so he googled it.

Apparently Stephen Strange was a big shot neurosurgeon who got into an accident and lost the use of his hands. He was even targeted by Project Insight of HYDRA. After his accident, he had stopped being a doctor. In fact, he had disappeared from the news a few months after his accident…until now. Somehow he resurfaced and rescued Matt. Matt should thank his lucky stars, or perhaps in Matt's case The Lord, that he often meets medical practitioners while he is injured. Well, not so lucky- being lucky means having a thriving law practice and not dying in a ditch. Foggy still couldn't remove the image of Matt being drowned in his own blood at his apartment.

After getting Matt's bag from his apartment (he was glad that he hadn't returned Matt's keys after their fallout), he asked the cab to drive straight to 177A Bleecker St.

Foggy's jaw dropped at the sight of the mansion next to an apartment building. How did Stephen Strange manage to acquire such a mansion after his accident? The news said he was bankrupt.

He only hesitated for a fraction of a second before ringing the bell of the mansion. He half expected a butler to open the door. He certainly didn't expect Stephen Strange himself to open the door. Strange was dressed in a white shirt and blue jeans. He looked the same but also different from the Google pictures. The obvious difference was the goatee. The more subtle differences were the demeanours. He read in the news that Strange was a very cold and calculated person. Somehow he got the impression that the person in front of him was warmer and had gone through a lot in life. And also much handsomer in person. Foggy didn't expect that. Hey, he was secure enough in his masculinity to admit when another guy was hot.

"Can I help you?"

 _Wow, even his voice is hot._ Since he was still a self-respecting lawyer, he quickly rebooted his brain. "I'm sorry. Where is my manner? Hi, I'm Franklin Nelson." He offered his hand which Stephen shook. "You can just call me Foggy. We spoke earlier on the phone. I'm here to bring Matt his bag."

"Do come in. I'm Doctor Stephen Strange."

Foggy noticed the tremor in his host's hands as they shook hands. _So he hasn't healed his hands._

"How is Matt?" Foggy said as he stepped inside.

"He is relatively well. If he doesn't move around too much, he'll be fine in a few days' time."

"Thank you for saving his life, Mr…"

"Doctor, Doctor Strange."

 _So he still likes to keep his title. Well, to be fair, he is still a doctor._ Some degrees were hard-earned so Foggy could respect that. "Thank you, Doctor Strange. Matt was lucky to meet you instead of people without any medical knowledge or worse, his enemies. I presume you know his secret identity."

Strange laughed. It was a nice voice. "It was very hard to miss with the red suit and the horns. Don't worry, his secret is safe with me." He grew sombre. "Don't need to thank me. It really is my duty to keep people alive to my best abilities even if I don't practice medicine anymore. Would you like to meet your friend now?"

Foggy was tempted to ask what Strange did for a living now but he refrained himself from doing so. He barely knew the guy. Besides, Matt with super senses was going to live with him for a few days. Perhaps Matt could unearth some interesting things about his host. "Sure, I'm sure he missed his cotton shirts."

Strange raised his eyebrows.

"Matt has very sensitive senses to make up for his lost sight. He needs to wear the softest and natural materials."

The doctor nodded. "I understand." He led Foggy along a long hallway. At the end of it, on the right, was a medium sized bedroom. "Here is the guest bedroom. I'll leave you two as I've some duties to attend to. Just take as much time as you want. You won't be imposing." Strange just waved him goodbye and walked away.

Foggy looked at his host's retreating back before knocking on the door.

* * *

He heard "Come in" as soon as his knuckles touched the door. He rolled his eyes. Of course, Matt known he had arrived. Perhaps he had heard his heartbeats a few blocks away, he definitely had heard the whole conversation with Strange.

Matt was looking quite pale as he lay on the bed. Well, at least he was conscious and not bleeding to death so that was quite an improvement in Foggy's book. He was still angry at Matt for his reckless behaviours. "You're an idiot and you know that. Why didn't you call me after the whole Elektra's fiasco?"

Matt smiled. "I'm fine, Foggy. Thank you for asking." He shrugged, which was quite a feat given he was still lying down. "Well, I've been better but I can't really complain too much. And I thought you were still angry with me so I wanted to give you some space. Besides, I expected you to be very busy with your new high-flying job. Congratulation, by the way. You deserve it."

Foggy couldn't stand being angry for too long, especially with Matt. He dropped the bag at the foot of the bed and went to hug Matt, or at least he tried to. He just ended up sitting on Matt's bed and patting Matt's shoulders. "I really miss you."

"I miss you too. I'd like to get up to hug you but I can't see the difference between being vertical and horizontal at the moment. I also don't want to pop some stiches so that Christine wouldn't kill Doctor Strange. It'd be a disservice to her hard works and my host's hospitality."

Foggy was always mildly amused and annoyed whenever Matt made blind jokes. But at least that meant he was not as badly injured as he looked. "Who is Christine?"

"I've no idea. She seems to be our host's ex colleague. She helped him to stitch me up because of his hands. I wasn't conscious during her presence."

Foggy rolled his eyes at Matt's flippancy. He knew his gesture was wasted unless Matt could hear the movement of eyes' muscles. "What do you know about your host?"

"Not much. He told me he was a neurosurgeon. I know there is more to his story but he was not willing to share. I also think he has some secrets. Nothing malicious so you don't need to worry."

Foggy helped Matt to change his clothes. It was a bit hard with Matt needing to lie down most of the time. At least Matt could lift his upper body a few inches off the bed. Between the two of them (after all they were brilliant lawyers), Matt finally managed to wear his cotton sweatshirt and loose pants. Foggy had finished telling Matt what he knew from Google about Doctor Stephen Strange when Matt was properly dressed.

Matt scrunched his forehead. "So he was in an accident. That explained the tremors."

"Are you comparing yourself to him? You were in an accident because you helped the old man. He was in one because he was texting. For a smart guy, he was an idiot." Foggy added belatedly, "And I hope he has no superhearing like you."

"No, Doctor Strange has left the building. I couldn't hear his heartbeat anymore. It was strange…" Matt smiled at his accidental pun. "I didn't hear any door being opened. I just heard some static noises then nothing. No heartbeat anymore."

"That certainly is strange. Pun intended. Perhaps he has a secret sliding panel or something. I wouldn't put it pass this huge mansion. He must really trust me not to steal anything from here."

Matt smiled again. "I think he knows that you're a big shot lawyer so he won't worry that you're going to steal his silver spoons. I also don't think he is as materialistic as he used to be. I also think he is not as helpless as we thought a post-accident civilian would be. I still wonder how he managed to bring me up here from the dumpster."

"Were you in a dumpster?" Foggy held up his hands. "Of course you were. Perhaps he let Christine help?"

"I doubt it. There is another interesting thing. How did he end up living alone in a big mansion? Who helps with the chores? "

Foggy hesitated because he didn't like to have prejudice against someone, especially someone who had helped Matt, but Matt's safety was more important. "About the big mansion, do you think it's possible that he is involved in something illegal? Perhaps cooking some meth for some drug dealers?"

Matt's lips quirked upwards. "Foggy, enough with your Breaking Bad obsession. I'm 70% sure that our host is not involved in any criminal activities."

"So you're 30% not sure."

"I'm willing to risk it. Besides, he saved me and he also let me contact you. I'm sure he has no nefarious purpose. He also sounds so sincere about helping people. I know because I checked his heartbeats."

"Are you having a crush at Doctor Stephen Strange?"

Matt was surprised at this sudden question. "What? Why would I have a crush on him? The last time I checked, I'm still interested in women. I'm still not over Elektra. Besides, if I were to change my sexual orientation, you'd be my first choice." Matt winked at Foggy and smiled.

"Well, I'm stra.. weirdly honoured that I'd be your first choice. I think you're missing out. Do you know how hot Doctor Stephen Strange is? Yes, I'm secure enough to admit when another guy is super hot. I wouldn't mind cheating on you with him if I were not straight. Well, I'm still straight, but his smile and his voice made me question my sexuality."

Matt put his left hand to his heart. "Foggy, how could you cheat on me with him after all we have been through? Don't you think threesome is a better option?"

They both burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of the notion. After a while, Foggy managed to stop laughing. "How are you this lucky to always end up with the hot ones? First Claire Temple and now Stephen Strange."

Matt shrugged. "I don't know. Perhaps you could start superheroing and find out."

"Tight fitting suit is not my style. I need to be able to pee whenever I want. Besides, I may end up with broken bones as often as you do so no thanks. You should be ashamed of yourself for priming me for heart attacks by constantly worrying about you."

"I'm sorry, Foggy. I really am. I still need to do it though. Noone else does it."

"Are you sure? I heard there is this Jessica Jones chick. My company uses her service sometime. She has some kinds of superpowers. There are some other superheroes or vigilantes as well. You don't have to do it."

"Foggy, we've been through this discussion more than once. I can't. I need it."

Foggy sighed in defeat. "Fine, but please take care of yourself. I can't stop you Daredeviling but please be careful. Not taking unnecessary risks would be a start."

"Foggy, you might think I'm suicidal but I'm not. I just got ambushed. Yes, it happens despite my heightened senses. I don't do this on purpose to stress you out. If I want to just bug you, I'll just sing that song you hate."

Foggy quickly shook his head. "That's a new low even for you. Fine, I'll believe you this time. But please don't make it a repeated occurrence. My heart could only take so much."

"I'll do my best."

"Perhaps Stephen..sorry Doctor Stephen Strange could be a good influence for you. He isn't a psychopath so it's a start."

"Not everybody I hang around outside work with is a psychopath."

"Sure, Elektra and Frank Castle are just misunderstood. Your master Stick just rescues kittens during his day off."

Matt smiled at the last bit. "I'm sure Stick would just say the kitten have it coming for not being ready. But yes, fair points about the rest."

"Of course, I'm always right. How could you not realize it until now?" Matt merely shrugged. "It's time for you to find new non-psychopathic friends that is not me. Doctor Strange might be a start. He is not a psychopath (well, you are 70% sure about that); he is a doctor, or an ex-doctor but it is still better than trained assassins; he actually rescued you which is always a plus in my book; he has a fixed address—a big mansion at that-so it's much better improvement than you recent friends. He also has some secrets which I'm sure you are itching to find out."

"You make me sound like a nosy and ungrateful brat."

"On the contrary, my gut feelings say that your host has some secrets but they are actually harmless-not everything in you life has to be sinister-perhaps he has secret stashes he didn't wish the public to know in case of emergency. I know you'll be in good hands in his care and you won't get bored out of your skull being an invalid."

"I'm not an invalid. I'm sure I can get out of my bed tomorrow."

"I certainly hope so but please no more Daredeviling until the good doctor said you're clear to go."

"I''ll certainly listen to my best friend who claims he is always right. Thanks for everything, Foggy. Please take good care of yourself."

"Likewise. When you recover, we should discuss about the state of Nelson and Murdock and your future career, I'm not talking the one in a tight costume."

Matt groaned but agreed. "Fine."

* * *

 **Notes:**

-For those who was wondering, yes, Stephen changed his outfit so not to raise any suspicion.  
-I really wonder whether Matt should lift himself for changing due to his concussion. If anyone with a medical degree cares to tell me to the right procedure, I'll gladly edit this story.  
-For anyone who is interested in Dr Strange's address (when I heard it the first time in the movie, I also thought of Baker St as Bleecker and Baker sound similar) here is an interesting read: www dot dcbr dot com/whats-the-origin-of-dr-stranges-address.

-Frank Castle is not really a psychopath, Foggy was just trying to make a point.

-I hope they are in characters. I really enjoy writing Foggy. The pairing mention is not meant to be pro or anti shipping. I just think Matt and Foggy might joke something like that because they are good buddies.


	4. All Good Things Must Come to an End

-I don't own any of the movies mentioned here so no profit was made.

* * *

"You got into Harvard Law?" Stephen mimicked Warner on screen.

"What, like it's hard?" he continued by mimicking Elle's reply.

Matt grinned so widely. "You got the intonation and inflection right for both but your voice is so deep you will make a terrible Elle."

Stephen wanted to pretend to look offended but he then remembered who his audience was. "Are you saying I look bad in pink?" He then realized he just made a faux pas. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend." He paused the movie.

Matt grinned. "None taken. You should see when I make blind jokes that make Foggy and Karen groan. I bet you look great in pink. I could always ask Foggy to come over to judge. I'm sometime not sure whether he comes over to visit me or to look at you. You should be honored as he said you're hot and his favorite superhero _is_ Captain America."

Stephen was glad that Matt couldn't see how his face had turned beet root red. His old self would just take in all compliments he got whether he deserved it. But this was the new Stephen. Besides, he was not as virtuous as Cap.

He was glad that Matt was mostly healed. He was glad to make Matt laugh as it seemed he had a tough life. He was also glad that they had become friends _._

* * *

 _15 days ago_

He just finished sealing another rift after a tough fight. As usual, Sophie gave him tremendous help. He was eternally grateful that Sophie chose him out of all other sorcerers. He felt exhausted but he needed to check on his patient first.

He used his sling ring to open a portal into his bedroom. He changed his clothes to T-shirt and jeans. He then knocked on Matt's door just in case he was awake.

"Come in."

"Doctor Strange, Foggy left an hour ago. He wanted to say thank you. We wouldn't mind paying you for the medical care you've given me and also for my temporary accommodation."

He was surprised. He never expected any payment for his help. It was his duty as a physician and also the Master of Mystic Arts to help people whichever way he could, "Don't worry about it. It doesn't cost much. Besides I need the company." He really meant that. He had been so lonely. He needed to concentrate on trying to find a way to defeat Thanos without any casualty. It was refreshing to find people who didn't know what his daily duties were so they wouldn't ask any questions and worry incessantly about him. "Since you'll be here for a while, you can call me Stephen. I need to check at your wounds now."

He went to check and was glad that the stitches still held. Matt also didn't vomit nor have any seizure. He was also quite coherent. He tried to rub exhaustion out of his face.

"You can call me Matt. Stephen, you need to rest. I know you're exhausted. I'm fine."

"I'm not exhausted."

"I know you're lying. Your heart beat faster than normal which means you were lying. Besides, I heard your breathing is labored and you are swaying when you are standing."

Stephen took a few involuntary steps back. "How.. how did you know that?" He then realized he just admitted Matt was right by his question. He inwardly cursed his exhaustion. He didn't want muggles (Christine's term) to know about magical world.

"You might wonder how I could be Daredevil while I'm blind. Super hearing and other super senses to make up for my blindness. Go to rest, Stephen. I'm fine."

He wanted to ask more follow up questions but he was too tired. "I'll prepare you a liquid dinner first before I rest." He quickly retreated from the room and made a mental note not to open a portal inside the Sanctum. It might be safer to open it a few blocks away and walked back in. He didn't know the extent of Matt's super hearing.

* * *

Matt grinned. "How did you know the script of _Legally Blonde_ so well? How many times have you watched it?"

Stephen thought his face would permanently be pink by Matt's teasing. "Just once actually. Christine was mortified when I said I hadn't watched the movie and forced me to watch it. I must admit I really like the movie. As for remembering the script, I have an eidetic memory. Besides, those lines are so memorable."

"I'd say you'd make a great lawyer with your memory but then again you are a doctor so you have made use of it." It was Matt's turn to realize his faux pass. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to remind you of your old life."

"That's fine. I've gotten over the fact that I'd never hold a scalpel in my life. How about you? Have you watched this movie before?"

Matt grinned so widely that it might split his face. "Are you kidding me? Have you met Foggy? Of course, I've watched _Legally Blonde_. He forced me to watch on the third day after we met then every few months he'd like to watch it together again. I'll pretend to be annoyed that he forces me to watch but I think he knows that I also enjoy it."

Stephen smiled. It felt good. He hadn't smiled freely for a while but Matt's stay did lighten his mood. "I'm glad that we're back at lawyer movies again."

* * *

 _11 days ago_

"Stephen, you don't have to rent lawyer movies for my sake. I also enjoy some other movies."

"But it's in the IMDB's recommended list of top lawyer movies."

"We watched "The Devil's Advocate" on the second night I was coherent after your rescue. Thanks for that by the way. It was a reminder that I should always remain vigilant lest my soul gets corrupted by the devil."

"I think the Devil was more cunning than corrupting some lawyers." He quickly stopped before he revealed too much.

Matt's head turned to his direction and paused. He must have heard his heartbeats, rate of perspiration or some other things he didn't understand. "For a non-Catholic, you seem to know a lot about how Devil works."

"I just read a lot of scriptures from a lot of cults and religions. That's my interest." That was actually the truth so he was sure he won the heart rate test. "So what's wrong with _To Kill a Mockingbird_ and _Liar Liar_?"

"Nothing. There's nothing wrong with any of them. They're classics. _Liar Liar_ is very funny. But we've watched three lawyer movies three nights in a row. You only think of what I might enjoy but how about yourself? Don't you want to watch some medical shows?"

"Oh no, I won't be able to stand it. Unlike you who can just inaccuracies in fiction law slide, I'll criticize every single one of their mistakes. Perhaps we can choose something non lawyery and doctory. How about _Shawsank Redemption_?"

"I don't mind _Shawsank Redemption_ as long as you enjoy it as well."

"I certainly do."

"Don't forget to invite Foggy. He would kill me if he knows I watch the movie without him."

Stephen smiled. "Consider it done."

* * *

"So am I."

"We could watch another movie tomorrow. What do you want? The Hobbit? Star Trek?"

"Stephen, I need to return to my apartment tomorrow."

"Are the movie choices that bad? Do you not like Sci-Fi and Fantasy? How about something fairy tallish like Stardust?"

"Stephen, your movie choices are fine. We both know that I've nearly recovered. I've no more concussion. I'm only a bit sore from my cracked ribs. It's time for me to sort out my affairs as I've abandoned them due to Elektra's death. I got over my depression because of your companionship. I know you're busy in whatever you do but you always accompany me whenever you can." He paused for a few beats as if waiting for Stephen to tell him what he did for a living. He had been probing for the last two weeks.

Stephen felt guilty because he didn't want to reveal anything so he remained quiet.

Matt continued, "I can't impose on you any longer. I'll visit you whenever I can."

Stephen swallowed. He knew all good things, not including Matt's injuries, must come to an end. "You don't impose on me at all. I understand you have duties to fulfill. I wouldn't mind your occasional visit."

"Of course, I'll visit whenever I can. It's not like I have a thriving law practice at the moment. Besides, someone needs to remind you about the artificial flavorings and ingredients in what you call food."

Stephen grimaced. "Thanks for ruining my culinary experiences for all the food within five blocks."

"You're welcome. Someone needs to take care of your well-being. For a doctor, you're very bad at taking care of yourself. And it's coming from a blind vigilante who did parkour and beat up criminals at dark alleys."

"Also end up in my dumpster."

"Hey, it's quite comfortable. I've compared it with a lot of dumpsters in New York. I didn't know that you're very possessive of your dumpster."

Stephen would really miss this type of bantering but life must go on. "Shall we continue the movie?"

* * *

 _A few hours later_

He opened a portal to his bedroom directly. It was against his protocol the last couple of weeks but he should be excused given the holes in his chest and abdomen and the loss of blood. He didn't even remember why he had such a protocol in the first place. He just wanted to collapse and rest.

He did just so face-first on the carpet next to his bed. The last thing he thought was "Wong is going to kill me for staining the carpet with blood again. He just magic cleaned it last month." Then everything went dark.

* * *

 **Notes:**

-I apologize for the double-whump. I didn't plan on it when I started this story but my muse is evil. Besides, how would Matt ever learn about Stephen's cleverly-guarded secret? I hope the appearance of Claire Temple in the next chapter will make up for it.  
-Yes, I personally would like more flashbacks but I needed to follow my muse. Who wouldn't want to see Stephen, Matt, and Foggy watching Shawshank Redemption? I'll try to include more conversation and interaction in upcoming chapters. If you have any idea what and how to include, please let me know.  
-I hope their bantering, interaction, and inner thoughts were still in character. I also hope the narrative style works.


	5. The Cloak Made a Good Nurse

-Unbetaed so please kindly point out any mistakes.  
-Warning: Spoilers up to "Iron Fist", inaccurate medical procedure, language.

* * *

Matt's first clue that something was wrong was a static noise followed a weak heartbeat. He then realized it was Stephen's. He smelled the blood before hearing the thumping noise in Stephen's bedroom on the third floor.

Thankfully, he had navigated the Sanctum in his free time with Stephen's permission. His host said all rooms upstairs were off limits because there were some super valuable antiques. Stephen's heartbeat was faster when he said that. Matt allowed him some privacy despite his curiosity so he never tried to open any room on the top floors.

Matt was familiar with the corridors at the second and third floor. He reached the bedroom in less than one minute. Out of habit, he knocked on the door before realizing that his host might be unconscious so he just opened the door.

He was greeted with the smell of blood and something that he couldn't recognize as soon as the door was opened. He was bothered by that foreign smell coming from his host's wounds. It smelt like a mixture of decay, desperation, and suffering mixed with some foreign substances. The smells he recognized were usually associated with Hell's Kitchen, not Greenwich Village. His logical brain overrode his curiosity and told him that saving Stephen took priority.

Guided by the heartbeat and the smells, he navigated the medium sized bedroom. It must be quite plush judging from the carpet. After five steps forward and three steps left, he found Stephen collapsing face down near the bed. He took the pulse at Stephen's neck. He was surprised that the doctor's body was icy cold. If it were not for the weak pulse and the shivering of the host, he would have thought that he had died.

He checked for injuries from the back of the doctor's head until his heels and found none. The wounds must be at the front. He made another mental note that Stephen wore something like a robe with leather material or at least it felt like leather. He remembered his first night at the Sanctum. He filed it under "to investigate later".

As he tried to turn him over, he felt a piece of fabric guided his hands toward Stephen's head. There was no other heartbeat in the room so the fabric moved by its own accord. Perhaps it was remote controlled? But who controlled the fabric remotely? Another thing to put under "to investigate later".

He just moved toward Stephen's head as the fabric pushed him persistently. The fabric then moved toward the doctor's head. As Matt wondered what to do, a corner of the fabric did some twisting movement on Matt's arm as it pushed his hands under Stephen's head. He understood that meant he was supposed to flip Stephen from the head side while the fabric would do it on the legs side.

Matt felt silly as he said, "On the count of three." The fabric caressed his arm and Matt somehow interpreted it as it agreed with him.

He waited until the fabric flew to wrap itself around Stephen's legs.

"One, two, three."

On the count of three, the fabric and Matt turned Stephen over. As Matt was wondering what to put under the doctor's head, the fabric quickly flew to the bed and put a pillow under Stephen's head to make him more comfortable.

Matt quickly checked where the bleeding was. The holes were at middle chest, lower chest and abdomen. He found most of the blood was coming out of the abdomen. The wounds were of equal distance as if they were made by a trident. Parts of the trident were still inside the wounds. Matt thought it was better to leave them there for now so the bleeding wouldn't get worse. He wondered briefly who would use a trident at this age and why Stephen was attacked by it. He again filed it to be investigated later.

Matt had learned how to attend to stab wounds. He had to, given what he did in his spare time. He remembered he needed to check whether the victim could breathe before attending to the wounds. He could hear that Stephen still breathed although more ragged.

He also remembered that the wounds should be higher than the heart. He felt silly again for doing it but it was worth a try. He asked the fabric, "Could you give me another pillow?"

The fabric flew toward the bed, picked up something, then flew back to him and dropped a pillow on his lap. Matt wished he had this kind of fabric when he was injured.

He lifted Stephen's lower back and put the pillow under it.

He started to remove Stephen's clothes so he could apply some pressure at the wounds. He never encountered anyone wearing robes except for monks so he was not sure how to undress Stephen. Not to mention his host seemed to wear an intricate belt with his robe. Luckily the fabric guided his fingers so that he could open the button (he didn't expect that) holding the robe together. The fabric also guided him for opening the knots for the belt.

As soon as he touched Stephen's body, he felt the icy cold again. He was not sure it was because of the shock because of blood loss or something else. He could feel Stephen was shivering. He needed to stop the flow of the blood first before covering him with a blanket.

The distance between the wounds was not too big so he could cover the middle chest and lower chest wounds with his left hand and the abdomen which oozed the most blood with his right hand. Up close to Stephen, he could smell that weird smell again from the wounds. What did Stephen get mixed up with?

He was too focused on pressing the wounds that he didn't realize the fabric was gone. Suddenly there was a flutter at the door which Matt now associated with the fabric. The fabric dropped a bottle of saline by the smell of it and gauze and tape by the touch of them on Matt's lap. Matt started to wonder if Stephen got injured so often that the fabric knew what to use for stab wounds.

After pressing the wounds that felt like forever, finally the bleeding at the middle and lower chest had stopped so Matt focused on pressing the wound at the abdomen with both hands. After what felt like a century, the bleeding at the stomach finally stopped.

Matt opened the half-full bottle of saline and started to pour it on the wounds. He was thankful that at least Stephen was unconscious because he knew by experience that this procedure was painful. He was not sure whether the wounds were clean but he knew infection would be dangerous so he started to wrap the gauze around the wounds loosely. At least he didn't need to lift Stephen up as he was already propped on two pillows.

He asked the fabric again. "Could you fetch me blankets?"

The fabric went to the bed to drop one blanket on Matt's lap which Matt used to cover Stephen. He was still shivering. The fabric flew out which Matt presumed to retrieve other blankets. The fabric came back with three more blankets. Matt used them all to cover Stephen who still shivered very badly. Perhaps it was because of infection? Usually at this stage, Matt would just meditate and rest but that option was out of the window with Stephen. Besides, parts of the trident were still inside him. There was only one course of action to take.

* * *

Claire was content. Living with Luke had its challenges but also rewards. Today, Luke was out helping some kids raising some funds for a new basketball court.

She was reading Dan Brown's "Origin" when her phone rang. She smiled. Perhaps Luke could come home for supper.

She sighed when she saw the caller ID.

"Matt, what is it this time? Head wound or stabbing wound?"

"Stabbing wounds but not me. It's my friend. Could you come to Greenwich Village? I think he's dying."

Claire's eyebrows rose to her hairline. Since when Matt has a friend who was not Foggy? Why was he in Greenwich Village? "You really know how to make an offer I can't refuse. Please tell me the address."

Claire got even more curious when she heard the address. "I'll be there in around half an hour. Make him as comfortable as possible. You should know the drill by now."

Claire quickly grabbed her first aid box of which content was pretty complete since she fished Matt freaking Murdock out of a dumpster. It was quite heavy but that was the cost of saving life.

She was thinking of using Uber but thought time was essential so just went out of the apartment to hail a cab. Luckily it was not busy time so she could get a cab quite fast. The driver seemed surprised when she told him the address.

The trip took around 25 minutes. During that trip, Claire had formed a few theories about why Matt was in Greenwich Village and who his friend was.

The taxi stopped at a three-storey brownstone mansion. Claire definitely got more intrigued. After paying the cab fare and thanking the driver, Claire was about to open the gate when Matt opened the front door then ran to the gate to open it for her.

"Hi Matt, it's nice to see you're upright for a change."

Matt was embarrassed. "It's nice to see you too, Claire. Yes, I said see. But we really need to get to Stephen. I can't stop his shivering. He's having nightmares and I can't wake him up. He was stabbed and the material was still inside his body."

That sounded serious. "Show me."

Matt led her through the front door and walked straight to the stairs. Claire would have been impressed with the decoration of the mansion if she was not too worried about Matt's friend.

As soon as Matt opened the bedroom door, Claire could smell blood and saline. Matt's friend was lying on floor near the foot of the bed. At least Matt had the sense not to wrap the wounds too tightly as the result would be disastrous.

One look at Matt's friend had confirmed one of Claire's theories. Of course, it was just her luck meeting all the supes and they got injured _a lot_. "Matt, you didn't tell me that your friend is a superhero. Why is he blue?"

* * *

 **Notes:**

-Yes, I promise Claire in the previous chapter so she is here but not as much as I initially planned. The next chapter will be in her POV. This story is after "Iron Fist" but before "The Defenders" so Matt hasn't met the rest of the Defenders. Foggy helped Luke out of jail much earlier in this story so it was before "The Defenders".  
-I am not a medical professional so Matt's treatment here was from Wikihow (wikihow dot com/Attend-to-a-Stab-Wound) If I get something wrong, please let me know. My excuse was Matt was blind and he was a not medical professional either.  
-Matt's comment about the state of Hell's Kitchen only reflected what was said in Daredevil universe. I don't think the real Hell's Kitchen is that sad and dangerous like the show but I'm not a New Yorker (nor an American) so I don't know.  
-Stephen was unconscious the whole time so he couldn't astral project.  
-If you know the correct procedure for Claire to remove the trident, please let me know. Otherwise, I'll resort to Google again. There was always the magical solution but yes, that would come later after Claire.  
-Feedback and comments are appreciated.


	6. My Life Has Gotten Stranger

-Unbetaed so please kindly point out any mistakes.  
-Warning: very mild spoilers up to Iron Fist (it won't spoil any twists or plotlines so don't worry about it), some language, inaccurate medical procedures.

* * *

"I don't recall Foggy ever mentioned to me about Stephen being blue then it must be the side effects of his wounds. "

"Is that so?" She knew Matt could detect sarcasm in her voice.

"How bad is that?"

She gritted her teeth. "His skin is deep blue. I haven't seen anything like this before. It's not normal. And I've seen resurrected ninjas and glowing Iron Fist. It must be some kind of poisoning. Even his lips and nails turned blue."

She felt exasperated. Someone was dumb enough to get critically injured again! These superheroes were really dumb and had so sense of self preservation. Well, the last part was perhaps the reason they were heroes. How could Matt with his super senses miss that his friend was a superhero?

Claire saw the patient shivering and breathing fast and shallowly. He was likely to be in shock. She touched his skin. It was clammy and icily cold. It was not the normal cold for shock patients but much more. It was very likely the side effect of poisoning.

Matt had done a great job in stopping the bleeding. However she still needed to remove the metal inside the patient. It would be tricky since they didn't have the right equipment. "Do you know the circumstance that leads to the injuries? How did he get injured? That might help."

Matt shrugged. "I've no idea. I didn't even hear him coming in. He was not in this room and suddenly he was."

Despite Claire's apprehension about the condition of the patient, her curiosity was piqued. "So your super senses didn't detect anything. Perhaps his super power is stealth or flight or phasing through solid objects?" She realized how far she had come as she could utter those sentences with a straight face.

The bleeding seemed to have stopped but it would start again as soon as she removed the objects. She needed to access the condition first. She opened the dressing slowly so not to disturb the wounds and moved the lodged metal to prevent further tissue damages.

"How do you know that he is a superhero?"

"Aren't you the human lie detector?" She turned to look at Matt.

He shrugged. "I truly don't know. How do _you_ know?"

So there was someone who could actually bypass Matt's super senses and got away with lying by omission. This "Stephen" must be very cunning. But he might not be very smart after all if he nearly got himself killed. "Well, for a start, he wore a robe. Isn't that the requirement for superheroes to wear a certain costume?" She pointed at the open robe before realizing that Matt couldn't see her.

Matt looked stunned. "I really have no idea. That explained the leather. Foggy said he usually wore shirts and jeans."

"So Foggy knows this Stephen and apparently paid close attention to his appearance and clothing."

Matt smiled. "Yes. Foggy might have a little man crush on Stephen. Foggy was the one who told me that Stephen was a famous neurosurgeon who had an accident two years ago. He was not in any news after the accident."

"Doctor Stephen Strange?" Claire was surprised that this Stephen was that famous neurosurgeon.

"Have you heard of him?"

"Yes. He is... he was the best neurosurgeon in New York and among the top in the world. A lot of ER doctors often referred to him for further treatments for patients with brain traumas. I heard that he was quite a dick though."

"Really? This Stephen is super nice to me and Foggy. He fished me out of his dumpster and nursed me back to health. He often accompanied me whenever he was not busy. He never told me what he actually does though."

She exhaled slowly. "You really need to kick the habit of occupying someone's dumpster. That's just rude. I'm sure you have heard countless times Foggy asked you to take a better care of yourself. Not that this Stephen seemed to do any better given the number of scars in his body. There is no way he could obtain those from being a regular doctor. I was wondering whether we talked about the same Stephen Strange but that name was unique. Besides, his hands are full of scars and trembling so this must be him. I wonder what turned him into a superhero."

"How could you be so sure that he is a superhero? He might be a part of Fight Club or something. That was one of Foggy's theories about me before he knew I was Daredevil."

"Of course Foggy would say something like that. Fight Club is not real."

Matt fake gasped. "Don't tell that to Foggy."

"As for how could I know that he is a superhero? Well, his look is very striking— some might say handsome but it depends on your personal taste. I notice good look seems to be the common trait shared by superheroes. Besides, he's quite muscular so he must work out regularly or he needs to work out regularly. And no, it was not for Fight Club."

"You're very likely right. I really didn't know about his look, I only heard from Foggy's comments. But how do you know he is not a super villain?"

She rolled her eyes. "Seriously? How long have you been staying with him?"

"Two weeks."

"And he hasn't done you any harm. Any super villain would have done something by now."

"Perhaps he is buying time."

"Your paranoia will be the death of you although I'd say your injuries are more likely to kill you first."

"Dormammu, I've come to bargain."

Both Matt and Claire jumped. They didn't expect Stephen to say anything. Stephen also started to toss and turn."Dormammu, I've come to bargain."

"Matt, we need to hold him down. Moving around is not a good idea as the metals are still lodged in his body."

She pressed Stephen's body on the left and Matt on the right but their patient still hadn't calmed down. Out of the far corner of the room, suddenly a red cape flew out and wrapped itself around Stephen's body while the collars started to strike his cheeks and neck. It seemed the cape was trying to calm Stephen down. After a few strokes, Stephen had calmed down considerably and stopped trashing about. He still repeated the same sentence again a few times before he stopped. They released their hold on the doctor.

"Am I seeing things or did a red cape just fly and pet your friend?"

"I don't see it per se."

Claire rolled her eyes.

"You were not seeing things. That piece of fabric had been helping me bandaging and treating Stephen earlier. It also helped to calm him down a few times earlier when I was waiting for you. So it was a cape." Matt looked mildly amused by the fact. Well, at least one of them wasn't freaking out. "Do you think we can help with his nightmares?"

"I barely qualify to treat him as I'm not an actual doctor. Psychology and traumas are definitely not my forte. Do you know who this Dormammu is?" Matt shrugged. "Speaking of trauma, I think we need to bring him to a hospital, the earlier incident had caused the wounds to reopen and the metals seemed to have pierced deeper into his body."

The wounds started to bleed again. Claire tried her best to stop the bleeding and she instructed Matt where to apply pressures.

"We should call an ambulance now."

"Or we could call Christine. I remember Stephen mentioned her stitching me up. She is an ER doctor."

"But he needs transfusions and IVs. We also need to treat his poison."

"How are you going to explain him being blue and ice-cold? Let's call Christine first and see what she is going to say."

"Fine. We call her, but if there is any doubt, we call an ambulance. I don't think he can last long. Do you know her number?"

The cape left Stephen's body and flew to a coffee table near the bed. It picked up a phone, flew back, and dropped the phone on the bed in front of Claire.

"Did that cape just retrieve a phone for me? Or am I seeing things again?"

"You know I can't exactly see it." Hearing her unamused snort, he quickly added, "Yes, it happened. You're not going crazy or we both go crazy simultaneously."

"I still blame you, Matt. My life has gotten stranger since I fished you out of that dumpster. First, a blind vigilante, then undead Ninjas, a bullet proof man, a man with glowing fist—I still regret going to China—and now a flying cape. I wonder what else is going to happen? Now, press here and here." The instruction was meant for Matt but the cape was the one doing the works as Matt was busy stopping the bleeding on his side.

Claire shook her head and accepted this was her life now. She picked up the phone. She was surprised that it was a StarkPhone. She hoped there were not too many Christines in his contact list.

She scrolled through his contact list which actually was pretty short. There were only a few names there and most of them were the Avengers. If there was any doubt before whether Stephen was a superhero, this confirmed that he was. She found Christine at the top of his most frequent contacts after Wong and dialled her number.

After the third ring, a tired woman voice answered with exasperation that mirrored Claire's. She turned the speaker on so Matt could hear it. Not that Matt needed it but somehow sharing the burden was more reassuring. "Stephen, what's it this time? It's 5.23 am now and my shift is nearly over. You know you can just portal here so I can look at your wounds.'

Claire's eyebrows rose at the word portal. "Doctor Christine? This is Claire speaking. I'm a friend of a friend of Stephen. I'm afraid he can't portal anywhere as he is dying in his house right now. That's the reason for this call. He has been stabbed and poisoned. His skin is icy cold and unnaturally blue. His stab wounds have just reopened and bled out again. The foreign objects are still lodged in his body. I don't dare to remove them without giving him transfusion first. He is also having repeated nightmares. Which hospital are you in? We can bring him there."

"Oh, Stephen, you've outdone yourself this time." Claire understood her sentiments perfectly. These damn idiotic superheroes! "I'll do one better. I can bring all the necessary tools and will be there in less than ten minutes. I just need to make a phone call first. Are you in Stephen's bedroom?"

Claire looked at Matt who nodded in affirmation. "Yes." She wondered why Christine asked the specific location in the house.

"Good, I'll be there soon. Just stop the bleeding and make him as comfortable as possible."

As she hung up, Claire noticed that at least Stephen had stopped bleeding although his shivering got much worse and his hands trembled more. She went to find a blanket and cover his upper body, careful not to touch the wounds.

She looked at Matt who seemed to be lost now and took pity on him. "I don't exactly blame you for my life getting stranger, Matt. I just think that if you guys take care of yourself better, you won't make your loved ones worry about you."

"I know. It's just I don't know how to stop. And apparently I'm not the only one." He pointed his chin toward Stephen. "It is not like I have tons of people who worry about me. I've not exactly been a great friend lately."

"Well, Foggy still cares about you. A lot. I still care about you." Looking at Matt's hopeful expression, she added. "As a friend. A very good friend. So don't get the wrong idea."

"I don't. I can detect your heartbeats and smell your hormones. You're not into me."

"That's not creepy at all. So how did you spend time with Stephen? How could you not know about his secret?"

"I really have no idea. We can ask him if…when he wakes up. We just talk about stuffs. Well, I mostly talk about my Daredevil adventures and interesting court cases. And watch movies together. He barely talked about himself. Whenever I tried to ask something that was remotely personal, he would quickly divert the question. I know he was up to something but I didn't know the exact nature. Not that I know any better now since I've never heard of Stephen Strange as a superhero in any news."

"Finally someone has outdone the Devil in term of secrecy. I'm getting more curious about what's the deal with him."

She didn't expect any answer but the universe had a sense of humor.

She jumped in surprise the second time that day when she heard a loud crackling noise behind her. She turned round just in time to see an Asian man in a robe and a Caucasian woman dressed in scrub stepped out of a golden sparkling circle that appeared out of thin air. The woman dragged something with her. The man helped her lifted the box out of the golden circle.

Well, at least one mystery was solved. Stephen must have used the same method to get into his room without Matt knowing.

* * *

 **Notes:**

-Another good source for treating stab wounds: www dot wikihow dot com/Treat-a-Wound-Created-by-an-Impaled-Object  
-Yes, I know that Stephen is not exactly a superhero but for muggles he is.  
-Are they in characters? Feedback and comments are welcome.


	7. The Night Nurses

-Unbetaed, non native speakers so please kindly point out any mistakes  
-Warning: medical and magical inaccuracies

* * *

Both Claire and Matt stepped backwards. Matt got into a fighting stance.

The woman in scrub quickly said, "I'm Christine. You just called me. I know we could use a more ehm conventional method to enter but I heard it's urgent." As she spoke, she went to check Stephen's vitals.

Matt lowered his hands. He must have sensed the truth in what Christine was saying.

The Asian man grunted. "I asked him to call me when he returned but he didn't. Now I know why." He did some hand movements and there were some orange glowing signs coming out of his hands and enveloped Stephen's body. Christine seemed unfazed by it.

Claire went to stand next to Matt and pinched him.

"Ouch, that hurts. What was that for?"

"Just checking that I'm not dreaming."

"Well, you're not. Can't you just pinch yourself?"

Claire shrugged. "Don't be such a baby. That was merely a pinch compared to your usual injuries."

The Asian man said, "Can you two keep quiet? I'm trying to determine which magical poison is in his system and what's the best action to handle it."

Claire felt like she had stepped into Narnia with the M word. Matt also seemed to struggle to accept the M word.

Christine looked in their direction. "I need some help here. Don't worry, mine is pure medical, no magic. Stephen was lucky _this time_ that the metals didn't pierce any vital organs."

Claire went to Christine. "I'm Claire. I used to be a nurse at Metro-General Hospital."

Christine smiled briefly before turning grim again. "I'm Christine. I'm an ER doctor at Metro-General Hospital. I wish we could meet under better circumstances. Could you get the blood bag from the medical ice box? I'm going to get the IV hooks. I know where Stephen put them."

Of course Stephen would have IV hooks. He was a doctor after all. But Claire wondered why he still kept them in his house.

She went to open the box and saw a few blood bags along with some emergency medical equipment. The blood type was B+ which must be Stephen's. She wondered how often he got critically injured that Christine actually could get blood bags of his type so soon.

Christine came back with two IV hooks and they went to set the blood bag and IV liquid.

Once they were done, Claire saw that the light at Stephen's body had turned from orange to green. She turned to look that some kinds of blue gas came out of his body and went into a container that the Asian man was holding. Stephen's body was not blue anymore but he still looked very pale.

She checked what Matt was doing. To her surprise, the cape went to settle on Matt's hands. They seemed to console each other, as they didn't know what to do to help, which was kind of cute and strange.

"The poison is out but I still need to perform some magical healing. How about you?" the man dressed in robes asked.

"Thank you, Wong. I still need to remove all those metals from Stephen. Claire, could you help?"

"Sure."

"How about me?" Matt asked. "Although I'm not sure what I can do to help. How about praying?"

Wong snorted. "Well, it wouldn't hurt. I also need you to get to that thick skull of his if…when he wakes up that any life including his is precious."

It was Claire's turn to snort which earned a glare from Matt. She kept to herself that Matt was the last person to give such an advice.

Matt added, "Stephen had nightmares earlier. He mentioned something about Dormmamu."

Wong shook his head. "He said he had taken care of his nightmares. I'll add more spells to drive Nightmare away from him."

Claire noticed that Wong didn't say his nightmares, instead he said Nightmare like it was an entity. Of course she didn't miss the word spell. It seemed Matt's world had become magical quite literally and of course Claire was dragged along with him.

She needed to focus on her tasks first. She passed the equipment needed for surgery while Christine deftly removed the pieces. She removed the shallowest pieces first before moving to deeper ones. She also performed some emergency surgery to repair some of the damaged tissues. Fortunately both of them were familiar with ER works.

They breathed a sigh of relief when the last wound had been sewn. Claire noticed that Wong was still hard at work.

Christine announced, "Medically, he is going to be OK, well, eventually, as long he doesn't die of infection or blood loss. I'm not sure the diagnosis from Wong's side."

Wong nodded. "It'll take a while. Stephen likes challenges so of course his injuries are also challenging. You go to rest first. Thank you for saving him. I'll inform you as soon as I'm done."

After they washed their hands, Christine asked Claire and Matt to go to pantry. She knew where Stephen kept the good tea and cookies. Matt said he would stay in the room and accompany Wong.

The cape hovered above Wong and Stephen.

Claire shook her head to dislodge the image.

In the pantry, after they were settled, Claire asked the most important question that had been nagging her mind. "Is magic real?"

Christine smiled and patted her hands. "Yes. It takes a while for me to get used to the idea. Actually, I'm still not used to it but I just go along with all the weirdness that comes along with Stephen. I couldn't cut all ties with him as soon as he joined a cult. Who else would stitch him up at 6 am?" She looked at the time. "OK, make it 8.43 am."

Claire was surprised that she had been here for nearly three hours. "I could relate to that. Are you two together?"

"It's complicated. How about you and Matt?"

Claire was sure Matt could hear what they talked about but she was past caring. She hadn't slept properly. "Well, it's complicated but no, we are not together right now. In fact, I'm seeing someone else."

"Lucky you. I really don't know where I stand with Stephen. I used to get annoyed with him so much but he had changed for the better. Well, except for the almost dying every few days part. He often heals himself and only asks for my help only when he can't do that. The old he will be too proud asking for help. At least I'm grateful for that."

"Yes, I know the type. Thinking that they can save the world without taking good care of themselves. In fact I know a few of them." She said it loudly so there was no way Matt could miss that.

"Why did you change the volume of your voice?"

Claire shrugged. "I'm just tired." If Stephen could keep secrets from Matt, it was only fair she kept some of Matt's secrets from someone else. She was sure Stephen already knew what Matt could do so that was not exactly fair but A for her efforts. "Who's Dormammu?"

"He never told me. He often mentioned it when he was unconscious, but he always changed the topic when I asked. From what I gathered from Wong, Dormmamu wanted to take over this world." Claire rolled her eyes. Of course that was what villains usually wanted to do. She also noticed the use of _this world_ as if there were more than one. "Stephen put him in a time loop so both Dormammu and Stephen were stuck together. He had killed Stephen so many times but every time he died, the time loop reset itself so Dormmamu couldn't escape the loop to conquer the world. After killing him so many times without Stephen giving up, Dormammu gave up and let Stephen go."

Claire couldn't believe what she just heard. The thought of someone could die and get resurrected was already a lot even after she saw some undead ninjas. Doing it multiple times on purpose to save the world took altruism to a whole new level. She had a newfound respect for Stephen along with a newfound exasperation that there was one more idiot. She was sure Matt felt the same thing— well, the respect, not the exasperation. "Is that the reason why he has so many scars?"

"Yes. He also picked up quite a few after Dormammu. Apparently that's the side effects of saving the world." Christine's smile didn't reach her eyes.

It was her turn to pat Christine's hands. "How could you take this so calmly? I was freaking out when Matt nearly died once."

"I wasn't there when Stephen died multiple times so I didn't have the opportunity to actually freak out. I have my shares of freaking out later on when he needs my help. You'll be surprised by the amount and location of his injuries."

"What you face is a whole new level of weirdness. How are you so calm?"

"I'm first and foremost an ER doctor although it doesn't really help when the people who get injured are our friends. Perhaps I'm hardened because of the frequency?"

"I'll drink to that." Claire clicked her cup with Christine's.

They both drank their tea.

"So how is Stephen dealing with his multiple deaths?" Claire couldn't believe she would ever utter such a sentence. It was a new record even for her.

"Well, he isn't. You know how some men tend to internalize their pains and don't want to talk about it."

She nodded. "I know one or two similar people."

"I told him he needs to deal with it since he often has nightmares. He said he knew how to deal with Nightmare, had defeated him often enough which of course meant he occasionally lost."

"Do you mean Nightmare like an entity instead of the phenomena?"

"Yup."

"I don't know what to say or even think."

"You don't have to. I mostly don't try to understand what Stephen says for my own sanity. I'm just there to support him and very often heal him. At least this time Stephen didn't astral project and scare you off. Although that might not be a good thing for Stephen, because he was in such a bad shape that he didn't have the chance to astral project."

Christine then told Claire her first experience when Stephen astral projected and instructed her how to heal him. She was a doctor, thank you very much, she knew what to do.

Claire chuckled. "That was a whole new level of mansplaining."

"Oh, Stephen didn't do that because I am female. He'd do that to anyone. I think that's just his habit. It's more like Strangesplaining."

There was a snort at the door. "Strangesplaining, that's a good one. I'll use it next time."

They turned to see both Wong and Matt at the door.

Wong said, "I have good news and bad news."

* * *

 **Notes:**

-The "Strangesplaining" part was actually from the comic. It was used when Stephen tried to explain some magical mumbo jumbo that only he himself understood.  
-The writer has confirmed that Strange remembers all his deaths and his magic progresses quickly as seen in Ragnarok because he learned a lot of magic when he tried to dodge deaths in the Dark Dimension that took place for a long time. screenrant dot com /doctor-strange-dark-dimension-dormammu-powers-

-Stephen's blood type is from "Doctor Strange: The Oath" comic.  
-I think Christine and Claire took over this chapter. Next would be Wong. Matt and Stephen would have their time later.


	8. The Price of Magic

-Not betaed and not a native speaker so please kindly point out any mistake  
-Warning: Some angst, magical mumbo jumbo, a lot of exposition and less human interaction.

* * *

Claire always hated it when people used that phrase. Usually it just meant more bad news disguised as good news. Perhaps it was the cynical side of her after working for so long in the ER.

"You may all want to sit down to hear this." Wong dragged chairs for Matt and himself.

"That's always not a good sign," Claire thought but she kept it to herself. The way Christine bit her lip showed that she agreed with her. Matt looked dazed. Claire couldn't blame him.

"Christine, I saw that you already found the good tea." Wong poured a cup of tea and gave it to Matt. "You might need this."

Matt grimaced. "Depends on the news I might need something stronger." Claire couldn't have agreed more.

"OK, I'll get this out of the way before you plan for his funeral. I personally won't allow it. If he dies, I'll drag his soul back from the afterlife and lock him up for putting me into so much stress."

Claire definitely could relate to that well except for dragging someone's soul back from the afterlife. Could that actually be done using magic?

Wong continued, "Thankfully, I don't need to that. He'll live. However, there is a price to pay."

Of course, there was.

"Stephen went to fight a monster that feed on children's fears and insecurities. There was one family that asked him to wake their daughter up as she fell into a coma for three days so she needed to be hospitalized. I told him to do more research about how to defeat the monster. He said there was no time because it was not only the girl but the family was also suffering. Stephen always has a weak spot for children."

Christine nodded. "He does. Even back when he was a surgeon. He often declined clients that he deemed unworthy of his attention but if they were children, he would most likely take the case. He said it was to get him more fame which I think was not true. Although I wouldn't argue with him whenever he agreed to take on a case. Sorry, go on."

"Despite my stern advice not to do it, I've never met anybody as strong-willed as him so of course he still went to help the girl anyway. I think the girl is OK now because her parents just called me a few hours ago to thank me because the girl is awake and healthy without any memory of what happened. She did remember something about a Doctor in weird blue clothes and a red cape just like Thor's was in her dream asking her to run as fast as she could and everything would be alright. Then she was awake. Her parents also told me that there were some children who suffered the same condition as their daughter had awoken in the same hospital at the same time"

They were stunned by the story as if it came out of a grim fairy tale.

"I wasn't sure what happened but I think my idiotic friend took on all the monsters together at the same time. They managed to stab him but their main purpose was not to kill him." Looking the raised eyebrows of his audience, Wong said, "I know their action is counterintuitive. Their main purpose was to infect him with the poison for the kids but in higher doses so he would fall into a coma full of nightmares and despairs. Their main purpose is to feed on his fear and despair because without those, they would die of hunger. It's to their advantage that Stephen lives but never wakes up."

Claire shivered. She was never a fan of monster stories when she was a kid and to know that they were real was not comforting. Matt sensed her discomfort and rubbed her arms to warm her up.

Christine drew a few deep breaths to calm herself down. "Are you saying that Stephen is alive now because the monsters wanted him as their food source?"

Wong shook his head grimly. "No, I wouldn't allow him to suffer like that. I'd rather see him die. Yes, I said earlier about dragging his soul back which I definitely would do if I could. I've removed the poisons out of his body and contained them. Hopefully, the monsters would die of starvation. I've asked the rest of the Mystic Arts practitioners to hunt for them. They should be weak by now without their food source."

Christine asked again, "So what's the price you talked about earlier?"

"The price of magic for curing him after he absorbed such a large scale of poison in his system is huge. There are a few options. The first is to remove a part of his soul which I've vetoed. I think all of you could agree." They all nodded. "There is no way I'll let Stephen lose his soul, even with his soul intact, he's already insufferable."

Claire could recognize Wong's attempt at levity although his eyes betrayed the fact that he was sad. It was obvious that Wong was really fond of his _idiotic_ friend.

"It could also cost his skills both in magical and medical or his ability to feel joy. I've also vetoed them because I know Stephen would rather die than losing his skills that he is so proud of. I'm sure you agree that he should be able to feel joy even though the source of his joy might be scarce." He looked at Matt when he said that.

"So I'm left with two options: removing his memory for the last month or letting him stay in a magical coma which he will wake when he has enough rest. I personally vote for the last option because I know Stephen doesn't have enough rest. Besides, when he is in a magical coma, he won't run headlong into dangers. I'll at least have some peace for a while."

Matt looked shell-shocked. "If you remove his memory for the last month, that would mean he wouldn't remember rescuing me or our growing friendship."

"That's right. That means you need to start over."

"Can't you just insert the memory back into his mind when he is awake?"

"Mr. Murdock, our memory is not like a thumb drive that you can copy and paste. Yes, I know what a thumb drive is because we are not savages. I might be able to insert his memory back but for Stephen, it would be like reading a fact sheet without any feeling attached to it. He might know your name and remember rescuing you but the camaraderie you've built so far will be gone. I personally feel that your friendship with Stephen did wonder for him. He ate and slept more regularly. He smiled more often. It'll be a waste to throw that away. However, it might help you to protect your secret identity. Stephen wouldn't remember that you're Daderevil. I could remove Christine and my memory about you as well so your secret is safe."

Christine cleared her throat. "I have some objections about people messing with my memory or Stephen's especially without his consent. I won't blab about who Daredevil is. However, if Mr. Murdock really thinks that's the best option then I won't mind."

Matt looked at Claire's direction. "What do you think? I can't condemn him to be in a coma but removing his memory is also inhumane. But perhaps you guys will be safe without knowing the identity of Daredevil…"

Christine snorted. "In case you miss the memo, Stephen has been endangering himself 24 /7 before he even knows you."

Wong added, "I can attest to that. That's why I have no hair so nothing to pull."

Christine replied, "But you already have no hair when Stephen met you…"

"I wonder what kind of information Stephen shared with you." He looked at Matt. "Back to the point, if I were to remove our collective memory, that would be for your privacy and not for our safety because we know how to take care of ourselves, well, most of us, except for our idiotic friend."

Matt looked crestfallen. Claire pitied him. He asked, "How about the last option? How long will he wake? Is there no long term side effect?"

"The last option is to put him into a magical coma. It's different from the usual coma because there is no need for life support or IV drip although he definitely needs to have the drip and transfusion when he awakens. As for to for long, I don't know, it depends on Stephen, his will, health, fitness level, and mental state. It could be three days up to two weeks or longer."

"Two weeks?" Matt was not happy about that.

"Hey, I'm not a big fan of him taking a long nap either. He'd never hear the end of it if he knew I said this but we definitely need him and his skills. He can do things that we've never dreamed of. We will be lacking of manpower when he is down. But I still think it's the best alternative. He needs to recover from all his injuries, not only the current ones but also all the previous ones. It's the best time for him to recover to be useful in the long run. "

If it were not for the concern shown in Wong's eyes, Claire would've thought Wong as cold because he only considered Stephen as a tool.

Matt asked again, "But is there any guarantee that he will awaken?"

"Oh, he will. As I said before, he is one of most stubborn people that I know of. He will fight his way back to consciousness and annoy the rest of us as if he was never asleep. I just don't know the time frame. So do we get a vote?"

Christine dabbed the corner of her eyes. "They're all really hard choices. We've no right to take away his memory. But we don't have any right to let him stay in coma for undetermined time either. But as a doctor, I need to choose the option that will benefit the patient in the long term. Will the coma affect his health?"

"No. The magical coma will just put him to sleep. But as I said, when he is awake, he still needs all the medical attention because unfortunately magic still can't replace blood loss and medicine. So somebody has to stay with him until he wakes up."

Christine said, "I hate to make this choice but I vote for magical coma. Poor Stephen will complain that he misses all the actions. I can't believe I say this but I'm going to miss his snarks."

Wong looked at Matt again. "So there are two votes for magical coma. How about you Mr. Murdock? Stephen considers you as a friend so you get to vote."

Matt looked at Claire's direction. "Claire, what do you think?"

Claire raised both hands although she knew the gesture was wasted on Matt. "Hey, don't ask me. I barely knew Doctor Strange so I don't have the right to influence you. But you seem happier now so he has good effects on you, obviously not the dying part as you don't need more of that. You now actually have a friend outside of your co-workers and a nurse who fished you out of a dumpster. Oh wait, how did you meet Stephen again?"

Matt looked like a kicked puppy so Claire felt slightly guilty about it. He asked, "Will Stephen be OK if…when he wakes up?"

"He will. Well relatively, given it is Stephen we talk about. He has a lot of baggage even before his accident. I meant his car crash accident, not this one."

Claire thought Matt and Stephen's friendship were like a match made in heaven, or dumpster or Stephen's sickroom.

"I wish he told all of this earlier so it's not coming as a shock literally at his dying moments."

"That's Stephen for you. Always the drama queen. I've told him to stay away from you and let others take care of you. He said he couldn't do that, You're his responsibility. I heard that before his accident, he didn't care for others although Christine had confirmed that was not always the case. Now he certainly made a 180-degree. He went to another extreme to redeem himself, caring for others too much but not his own wellbeing. It's very frustrating to be his friend."

Claire could relate to that.

"We often see Stephen's arrogant persona without realizing deep down he cares too much. His attitude is mostly for shows nowadays. I told him that he'd better tell you the truth if he wants to befriend you but he said people needed to be sheltered from the truths about monsters and other interdimensional threats. It's a need to know basis, that's his word, not mine. So having known this, what's your decision?"

Matt looked like he just walked into a wall. "I guess in that case there is no other choice, magical coma. I can't throw away the friendship that apparently he treasures. I hope he will be awake soon."

Wong nodded. "Then it's settled. We all have the same hope. Besides, I need to give him a stern lecture about finding backup when he wakes up. Being in a coma won't excuse him from that."

* * *

 **Notes:**

-In the comic, after accident Stephen always cares about children. He even let a demon possesed him so the demon wouldn't posses a little girl. As for the pre accident Stephen, I took it from the animated move "Doctor Strange: The Sorcerer Supreme" (2007). As for MCU canon, I guess we would find out more if there ever were a Doctor Strange sequel.  
-In Infinity War (which ending we will pretend didn't happen), Stephen always helped and saved Tony, Peter, and the rest despite his claim that he didn't care about them.  
-Mr Scott Derrickson said this on twitter "In the Doctor Strange comics, the two things I always loved most were the mind-bending dimensional visuals and Strange's haunted, lonely isolation and his persistent struggle within himself. Without a lot of screen time, I thought Infinity War embodied that character beautifully." (Source: twitter dot com/scottderrickson/status/991444052183666689). Loneliness and internal struggle certainly have always been a common theme for Stephen.  
-I think this chapter was heavy on exposition so the next chapter is about Matt talking to Foggy about his life, career, plus magic, monster, and Stephen.


	9. How is This Magical Coma Any Better?

-Unbetaed, non native speaker so please kindly correct any mistake  
-Warning: some spoilers for Daredevil Season 2 plus Foggy's attempt at jokes

* * *

 _Seven days later at Stephen Strange's bedroom._

"He is like Sleeping Beauty except that he is not a girl…" Matt groaned. Foggy ignored him. "…, he is not cursed, and he won't wake up by any true love's kiss. Are you sure about that? Has anybody tried to kiss him?"

"Foggy!"

"Hey, you just told me that magic is real and there is such a thing called a magical coma so that was the first thing that came to my mind. It was worth at least a mention." Foggy poked at the sleeping man. "Wow, he is warm just like us. I thought his skin would be cold being in a coma and all. Not that I'm an expert since I'm not a doctor." Suddenly a red cloth swatted his right hand that just touched Stephen. Foggy yelped. "Did that piece of red cloth just hit my hand or am I hallucinating?"

Matt shrugged and smiled. "I don't know, Foggy. I didn't exactly see what happened. But stop poking at Stephen. Let him rest. The Cloak of Levitation is very protective of him."

"I can hear your capitalization for the cloak's name. Isn't that a bit pretentious?" The Cloak flew in front of Foggy's face and flapped both ends threateningly. He must be hallucinating. "Am I seeing thing or is the Cloak threatening me?"

"Stop asking if I see things and stop agitating the Cloak of Levitation. She has enough stress."

"OK, I think this whole house has gone insane including you, not that you ever sane in the first place. So is this Cloak a she?"

"Well, apparently Stephen and Wong refer the Cloak as a she so I just follow suit."

The Cloak flew back to act as a blanket for Stephen.

"Isn't Wong the guy who put Stephen in a coma, sorry, a _magical_ coma? I still can't wrap my head around magic."

"Neither can I. Especially when I can't see it."

Foggy groaned. "Please stop with your pun. But why would we trust thing Wong guy again? Why are they naming objects?"

"Stephen would've been agony and fallen into a normal coma if it were not for Wong. As for naming objects, I think you need to ask them, not me."

"How is this magical coma any better than a normal coma?"

"As I said, Stephen is not suffering in this coma. Something to do about some magical creatures will suck his life energy or something when he is drowning in his worst fears or traumas without any chance to wake up." Foggy involuntarily shivered and took a few steps back from the sleeping man. "In this magical coma, he's just sleeping without any need of life support. The magical coma also heals old injuries that he was too busy to take care of."

"He actually sounds like you."

Matt glared in Foggy's direction. "It's hard to tell when he will wake up though. Not that we can know when someone is going to wake up in a normal coma either. He has been like this for five days."

Matt looked miserable again like he did when Foggy walked into this house an hour ago. That was the reason he asked a lot of questions and made some stupid jokes to take Matt's mind off his guilt. He even poked at Stephen to rile Matt up so he wouldn't be drowned in misery. He'd apologize to Stephen properly if ... when he woke up but he was sure the good doctor would have agreed that it was the right thing to do. He knew that Matt would feel guilty about Stephen's condition, blaming it on himself even though both of them knew Stephen made his own choice. It was still surprising that someone could keep such a big secret from Matt for so long.

'Didn't think Wong guy say it would take from three days to two weeks for him to wake up? This is only less than half the projected time."

"But to see, please don't correct me, someone that you get close to who is usually full of life to be so lifeless is painful."

"Now you know how I feel when I see you lying in your own pool of blood in your apartment. You know Stephen only for two weeks. I've known you for seven years!"

"I'm sorry, Foggy."

"I know you are. But not enough to stop you from keep wearing your underwear to patrol the city."

"As I said before, they are not underwear. The city needs me. Why are we rehashing this again?"

"To stop you were feeling sorry for yourself about Stephen. I swear that both of you like _Mr and Mrs Smith_ except for the parts that you're superheroes instead of assassins…"

"I'm not a superhero."

"…, you're not married to each other, you're not trying to kill each other outside this house, you're no Angelina Jolie…"

Matt shrugged. "Thanks?! Why am I the wife? Is that the hair?" He tried to flip his hair.

"(You're welcome) and he is no Brad Pitt. I guess it's a terrible analogy but you've got my point. "

"I didn't hide my identity from Stephen."

"Not by your choice but he definitely hid his from us and did it so well even without wearing any mask. And he would've gotten away with it too, _if_ it weren't for those _meddling monsters_!"

"Would you please stop making those movie analogies?"

"I'd stop if you stopped Daredeviling."

"Touché."

"Darn, I thought that would've worked."

"Foggy…"

Foggy raised both hands placatingly. "Yes, yes, you feel like you need to be Daredevil although in my opinion you want to. OK, back to Stephen. What's your plan when he wakes up? Are you going to be angry with him like I did to you?"

Matt slumped back in his chair and put his head between his hands. "I've no idea. We've only known each other for two weeks so I don't really expect him to pour out his soul to me. I just want him to wake up. Perhaps I should've chosen the memory removal. At least he would be awake now."

"You would 've been outvoted anyway. Removing memory is against something that you believe in. Besides, your friendship is great for you both. I wasn't kidding when I said you need to find a non-psychopath friend who is not Karen or me. I just didn't expect you to find another superhero who is as bad as you at personal safety."

Matt looked up from his hands. "Hey, I've never been in a coma for five days. I also never got any magical poisons in my system."

"It's not something to brag about." He sighed. "Superheroes and their self sacrificing tendencies. You would've been poisoned by those if you ever encountered them. That's your luck."

"Thanks for cheering me up, Foggy. Don't quit your day job."

"I won't, unlike some lawyers I know who are more concerned about beating up undead ninjas rather than being present in the court rooms. Hey, at least Stephen is not in a gang or sells drugs like what I thought so you luck out here."

"Yes, that worry keeps me up at night."

"That and the screams of some victims fifty blocks away."

"Foggy, you know that my hearing range is only up to twenty blocks."

"I miss our daily bantering. Seriously Matt, what are you going to do now? Are you going to sit here and mope until Stephen wakes up?"

"I don't mope. I take turn with Claire, Christine, and Wong to look after Stephen."

"Sure. You don't mope, you just like to stare into the distance with your sad face."

"I don't have a sad face."

"Yes, you do. In fact you have many versions of sad faces. Back to the problem, Matt. What are you going to do?"

"I have an appointment to meet a client the day after tomorrow. Pro bono. She wanted to sue a paint company that made her son sick."

Foggy went to hug Matt. He hugged back. "That's great. I'm so happy for you. How are you going to get paid though? You are not exactly flush with cash."

"Elektra left me a rather large windfall. I'd use it for now until I figure out what I really want to do."

"At least she did something good for you."

"Foggy, she died to protect me!"

"You wouldn't be in that position if it were not for her."

"I can't ignore what happened in Hell's Kitchen and you know it."

"OK, OK. I think we need to agree to disagree about this. So what do we do now while we are in our injured-superhero-sitting duty?"

"It's my duty, not ours."

"Well, I've taken the day off today so I'd better spent it with my best friend."

"Thanks a lot, Foggy. I'm glad you forgive me."

"Barely."

"I'm trying to make a heartfelt speech here. I'm glad you're here. I thought I'd lost you forever for being an ass. Seeing Stephen lying down here a few days ago made me realize what I've put you through and we've been friends much longer than two weeks. I'll try to stop being Daredevil which was the reason I was here in the first place. I'll try to be only a lawyer. I need your support for this."

Foggy got misty-eyes. "That's all I ever ask for, Matt. At least something good has come out of this mess. So what do you want to do now?"

"My story is boring because it's about beating up people. You can tell me what's going on in that new company of yours?"

Foggy drew a chair closer. "My boss hired this chick called Jessica Jones. I think she is tougher than you. She certainly has more attitudes…"

Foggy continued with his stories. He was glad that Matt was alive and well. The most important thing was they were friends again.

* * *

 **Notes:**

-I've been wondering where Matt got the money if he took pro bono cases in The Defenders so that's just my headcanon. That or he worked in a company that specialized in pro bono.  
-Cookie for anyone who got a reference to Luke Cage Season 2 here.  
-I've been searching for a meaninful interaction between Matt and Stephen in the comics and I finally found them.  
i-sudoku dot tumblr dot com/post/174849741313/daredevil-1998-65-part-1-part-2-matt  
i-sudoku dot tumblr dot com/post/174849780723/daredevil-1998-65-part-2-part-1-matt  
-I really hope they're in characters, they might have joked too much  
-Next: Stephen wakes up.


	10. It was not about me

-Unbetaed and a non-native speaker so please kindly point out any mistakes  
-Warning: some terrible jokes, language, inaccurate medical procedures, abuse of magic

* * *

 _Five days later_

Stephen slowly opened his eyes. He didn't remember going to bed which usually was a bad sign. However, he didn't feel any pain which probably was a good sign. It was hard to tell with his life lately.

He heard someone said, "Look like someone finally decided to join the world of the living."

He knew that voice. It belonged to someone whom he was sure pretended not to like him but had warmed up to him. He tried to open his mouth and realized that his throat was dry. How long had he been out?

The person put a straw into his mouth and he gladly sucked the water. He was parched but he knew it would do him no good to drink so much water so quickly. When he felt that he could talk, he asked, "Wong, why am I here? How long have I been out?"

"You've been in coma for ten days. How do you feel?"

"Like I've been in a coma for ten days."

"I'm glad your terrible sense of humor is still intact."

He tried to grin but it seemed he was out of practice so he stopped the motion before he hurt his mouth. "But you're warming up to me and my sense of humor. Ten days? I need to go the meeting at the Myrerr Dimension."

He tried to get up but Wong was quick to press him gently down to bed. "You're not going anywhere. Somebody has gone in your stead."

"Who?"

"Does it matter? The meeting finished yesterday and the result was positive."

"I need to train the new students at Kamar-Taj."

"Stephen, you're not going anywhere until you recover. You nearly died or worse, stay in perpetual nightmares until your body rot. Don't you remember what happened?"

He vaguely remembered about wailing kids that made his blood boil so he challenged the monsters for a duel to draw them out of the kids' mind. He remembered getting the upper hand, got too careless, and paid the price for it. He remembered stumbling into his room bloodying the carpet.

"Oh, crap."

"Exactly my sentiment."

"How about the kids?"

"They're fine. Thanks to you. I've dispatched the monsters when I took the poison out of your body. You're welcome."

"Since you have taken my poison out, I don't see what the problem is. Why am I not allowed to get up?"

"And yet you keep insisting that you're the doctor. Don't you remember the blood loss and the big gaping holes in your body?"

Ah, the physical injuries. He sometime forgot about them because usually magical injuries took precedence over physical injuries. "Didn't you cure them as well with magic?"

"It's cute that you think I'm capable in defying the law of nature. No, I can only help you to remove your magical ailments but you still paid the price of it by getting into a magical coma. I can't begin to imagine the price you need to pay if I cure your physical ailment using magic as well. You might grow three extra tails in your chest or something more horrible."

"Why can't you multitask? Like putting me in a magical coma but gave me some blood transfusion so I don't need to be stuck in bed for much longer."

There was a flick of sadness in Wong's expression but it was gone in a millisecond. Stephen had known the librarian for nearly two years so he knew his telltale signs. "Stephen, you should be grateful that you're still alive now. We can't ask for more miracles. You out of all people should know magic and science don't mix." He forced a smile. "I'll buy you an ice cream if you behave."

"I'm not a four-year-old."

"So you don't want an ice cream."

"I didn't say that." He hated that he sounded like a kid. But he had the excuse of nearly died and being in a magical coma for ten days. He also really wanted that ice cream since Wong brought it up. He would metaphorically (since he had done the literal parts too many times) die for an ice cream. "Hang on, how did I survive? No offense, you are very capable but even you can't heal me medically."

"We teamed up to heal you."

"We?"

"Matt, Christine, Claire, and I."

"There are a lot of people. Who is Claire?"

"A very capable nurse and a friend of Matt."

"So four people were involved in saving my life?!"

"And your Cloak too! "

Sophie fluttered in front of him to emphasize Wong's point. He felt bad that he forgot about his Cloak since he woke up. "Sorry," he said quietly to Wong and his Cloak.

"You didn't make our life easy. By the way, Murdock knew everything. Well, at least the parts about you are a sorcerer and you lie to him on daily basis."

"Ouch." He really didn't want to think about it just yet.

"Exactly. Stephen, as much as we like to keep the existence of sorcerers as a secret, sometime it's OK to let our friends know. I am not mad at you if you don't keep it a secret. But I'm mad at you for risking yourself."

"I'm sorry to put everyone through hell, but if the situation were repeated, I'd do the same thing in a heartbeat. You should hear those kids."

"I know. That's the worst part, I totally understand where you came from but the selfish part of me wished you thought about yourself as well."

Stephen bit his lower lip. "It was not about me. It never was. So are you mad?"

"Furious."

"I can't really tell with your poker expression."

There was a flicker of a smile adorning his friend's face. "I do miss your terrible jokes. You're so grounded. Christine said you need to rest for at least one week."

"But I need to go for a Treaty Talk with Tribe Fuerqke at the Xearly Dimension?"

"No, you don't. It won't work if you faint in the middle of the Treaty."

"3 days?"

"No."

"4 days?"

"No."

"5 days."

"No, before you said 6 days, the answer is still no. At least 7 days and to be decided later whether you're fit enough. Christine said that even though the blood can be replenished within 48 hours but your body still needs around four weeks to fully recover."

"Hey, I'm a doctor, I could determine it myself."

"Yes, and you've done a great job so far."

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you. What will I do in the next 7 days?"

"Sleep, meditate, read, research, practice on your terrible jokes?"

"The usual stuffs minus the action then?"

"Yes. You should listen to yourself, you sound like an action junkie. You could also chat with Murdock and explain to him everything. You owe him that much."

"That's what I'm worried about. I'd rather charge headfirst into actions."

"I know. You're an idiot."

He couldn't really argue about that!

"So I expect hypovolemic shock soon once my body realizes I'm not in a magical coma anymore. Before I get hooked on any IV, is that possible that you open a portal for me to go to the bathroom first? I'll be dehydrated once I get into my hypovolemic shock so I won't need to go for a while after this. Plus could you infuse some magic to boost my energy so I can stand up to relieve myself? Then could you open a portal for me to go back to bed?"

"That's not what magic is used for."

He tried his best impression of puppy dog eyes. He was not sure whether it would work. "Please. I've been stuck in this bed for 10 days and will be stuck again for at least 7 days. I didn't ask for a miracle cure. Just some measure of privacy and decency."

"Fine. I'll help you this time. Let just this be a lesson for you not to rush into things without backup next time."

Stephen was too tired to argue about there was no other way. Wong didn't see the state of the kids. "Thanks. You're the best. I was never Wong about you."

Wong winced. "Quit your terrible pun and quickly do your business. I only give you three minutes. You don't want to pay the price on top of what you're already paying."

He got up quickly or at least tried to. Despite Wong's energy boost, he would've faceplanted if it were not for Sophie. He stepped through the portal and quickly relieved himself. He knew Wong wasn't kidding about the time limit. As soon as he washed his hands, he stepped back through the portal into his room. Sophie was impatient as his movement started to get sluggish. She lifted him up, curled herself around him so he looked like a buritto, and put him to bed before releasing him. The tips of her collars touched Wong's palm as if high-fiving him.

He wanted to complain about the indignation and conspiracy but he started to feel weak, his heart rates had quickened considerably, and his breathing started to get shallow. It was hard for him to concentrate. He tried to grab the IV hook for blood transfusion but Wong beat him to it.

"Stephen, just rest. Let me do it. Christine has taught me how to hook the IV for blood transfusion and also nutrition. She has also taught me to give you dopamine. Let others be the doctors for once."

He wanted to comment on the last part but he was too tired to do so. He felt his Cloak settled on his body and as the result he felt immensely safe. For once he didn't fight to stay conscious.

* * *

 **Notes:**

-Information about blood loss and hypovolemic shocks: healthline dot com/health/hypovolemic-shock#emergency-care, medbroadcast dot com/condition/getcondition/blood-loss-transfusions-and-transfusion-alternatives, quora dot com/How-long-does-it-take-for-the-human-body-to-replace-a-pint-of-donated-blood  
-There were lacks of comments for the previous chapter so I wasn't sure whether to continue but then I remember that this story is so close to what I intended to write in the first place about Matt and Stephen talking about philosophy, religion, faith, meditation, ethic, career, education, love, superheroing, predestination, accidents, disabilities, and life in general (not necessarily in that order) so I persevere. Yes, we've "wasted" 10 chapters to finally go to hopefully the heart of the story.

-The burrito part was inspired by a fan-art I saw.

-It was tempting to write Matt who stayed with Stephen when he woke up like perfect bookends but life was not perfect like that. I want to write Wong talking to Stephen plus Matt will be talking to Stephen a lot in upcoming chapters.


	11. What a Pair We Make

-Unbetaed and a non native speaker so please kindly point out any mistakes  
-Warning: inaccurate medical treatment/procedure/symptoms, light discussion of religion and philosophy

* * *

 _One day later_

As soon as Stephen opened his eyes again, a glass with a straw was presented in front of him. The straw was at the furthest end of the glass. He thought he might have missed something. He closed his eyes again to think what just happened. Oh right, coma for ten days, some poisoning, loss of blood.

He opened his eyes again and saw the glass was still there. Initially, he thought the Cloak was holding the glass, then he heard a voice. "I didn't know you would go that far to get yourself nearly killed so I could stay longer." He winced. Of course it was Matt. That explained the position of the straw, despite his enhanced senses that people mistook as a replacement for sight, the lawyer was still blind. It was the same case for him. People thought he had healed his hands as he were able to do all those intricate hand movements but the fact was his hands still shook. Most people just didn't notice it. What a pair they made!

He tried to lift his right arm to pick up the glass but he realized he could barely lift his arm. He noticed that his left arm was still hooked into IV. He presumed they were for liquid and nutrition. He was too weak to lift his head to check. At least he didn't need a transfusion anymore. Suddenly his Cloak flew and lied on top of him. The weight of the Cloak was comforting.

He felt like an asshole for not responding to Matt directly. He tried to speak and realized he was parched. "Could you move forward a bit and move the straw 180 degree? I'd like to pick up the glass myself but I can't at the moment."

Matt seemed embarrassed. He followed Stephen's instruction. "Sorry."

Stephen gratefully took some sips of water. He remembered he still shouldn't drink too much too soon. After he didn't feel like he just arrived from the Sahara, he replied, "Thank you. I think it's enough for now." Matt put the glass back on a table. "Don't need to be sorry. I'm the idiot who got himself hurt. When people talked about karma, I didn't expect it to bite me back so soon with you literally give me a glass of water. I must assure you that I didn't get injured so that you could play doctor."

"But you do it so I can keep you company much longer." There was no hint of malice in his tone so Stephen was slightly relieved.

It was his turn to be embarrassed. "I do want your company but not this way. Sorry."

Matt waved his hand magnanimously. "I'm sure you didn't plan to get stabbed to make new friend like I didn't plan to get a concussion and end up in your dumpster. I'm sure if I give you a hard time, Foggy in turn will nag me and call me a hypocrite. How do you feel?"

"How long was I out after my talk with Wong?"

"Around 20 hours."

"I feel like I've been unconscious for 11 days then."

"I do miss your terrible joke."

"Come on, you like it. The math is accurate." Matt just grinned in response. "Are you really not angry with me?"

"Do you want my honest opinion?"

"That can't be good but I guess I deserve it. Yes, please, I can't hear heartbeats like you. Although of course I can use telepathy but I'd rather not, invasion of privacy and all. Plus I'd rather sleep than trying to do anything at the moment." He started to feel drowsy again but Matt deserved the truth after what he had done to him.

Matt straightened up. "You can read minds?!"

"I'm not a telepath who can constantly hear people's thoughts. I need to use certain spells to do that which take some efforts. Besides, as I said, I don't like to invade someone's privacy unless our dimension is at risk."

The lawyer nodded. "You were telling the truth." Of course he listened to Stephen's heartbeats. "I still can't get over about magic and what you do for a living."

"It's so kind of you to call what I do a _living_. I don't exactly get paid for that. So I'm unemployed in the eyes of the government and tax payers."

"I beat up criminals in dark alleys and as I said before, my law practice isn't exactly thriving at the moment."

The doctor vocalized his earlier thought. "What a pair we make!"

The corners of Matt's mouth twitched. "Indeed. I'm the Devil of Hell's Kitchen and you're the … Actually I'm not sure what your title is. Besides the Doctor Strange of course."

"Hey, I'm a real doctor. My official title is a Master of Mystic Arts and my position is the Master of New York Sanctum."

"Not the Doctor of Mystic Arts and Doctor of New York Sanctum?"

"And you said I tell terrible jokes." He coughed. The Cloak rose and looked alarmed. "I just need some water."

Matt quickly gave him water. This time, the straw was at right way. Stephen was not sure how he did that but he wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth or rather a glass of water in his own mouth. He took a few sips slowly. The Cloak looked at Matt approvingly (at least that was the impression he got) before returning on top of his body.

"It's enough. Thank you."

Matt put the glass back. "You're welcome. You shouldn't be thanking me as you've done the same for me."

"Not everybody treats kindness with kindness so I'm grateful for whatever good things no matter how small or seemingly insignificant it is."

"That sounds like something you pick out of a Hallmark card."

"Actually, it's Kamar-Taj. They mostly operate based on the Tibetan Buddhist principle."

"It's the Hogwart of Nepal, isn't it? I heard it a few times from Wong. Yeah, sorry, shouldn't make the Harry Potter joke. I grew up with Catholic priests and nuns and I'm still a Catholic but a pretty bad one as I'm sure a good Catholic don't beat people up."

"And I banish monsters and other creatures to other realms they belong to. I try not to kill as much as possible though. A life is a life."

"I don't approve of murder either. What a pair we make indeed. Do you still want my honest opinion?"

"Yes, please." He stifled his yawn.

"My initial reaction after seeing, yes I know what I'm saying with a lot of blood was terrified. I thought I miss lose you like I have lost a lot of the good things in my life. After you're out of danger, I was furious that you had lied to me all this time then I remember Foggy had called out on me for the same stunt I pulled. I nearly bled to death. Then I remember _Do not do unto others what you don't want others do unto you_."

"Did you just quote Confucius?"

Matt shrugged. "I can read only so much law books. I'm always interested in philosophy."

"Luke 6:31. _And just as you want people to treat you, treat them in the same way_."

"Do you read the Bible?"

"I grew up in Nebraska where the majority is Christian so yeah. I was never a believer myself but when my astral projection, which I guess is the equivalent of the soul, got pushed out of my body I reviewed my beliefs."

"I need to ask more about soul and beliefs."

"What do you want to know?" He couldn't contain it anymore so he yawned. He guessed that was the effects of blood loss or the drugs in his system.

"I know you've been suppressing your fatigue to answer me but you really need to rest. You nearly died ten days ago."

"Eleven."

"Hey, I'm the lawyer here. My point is I was angry at you but then I realized I had no right to do so. I have eleven days to think things through. You just know me and I've been lying to Foggy for years. I also understand your need to protect us Muggles from the terrible knowledge of other dimensions and supernatural beings. So I forgive you. I even admire you for helping those kids."

Stephen was too tired so he closed his eyes. "As long as you forgive me, I'm fine. I was worried about that when I talked to Wong."

"So the first thing you worried about when you got up was upsetting me."

"Well, I was worried about my other duties too." He nearly drifted off but he fought on to answer Matt. He was relieved Matt was not angry.

"Go to rest, Stephen. Me and my Catholic guilt and terrible jokes will still be here when you get up. Good night."

Stephen would've responded but the pull of the dream was too strong.

* * *

 **Notes:**

-The Bible quote Stephen used is the new American Standard 1977 from biblehub dot /luke/6-31 dot htm  
-Info about religions in Nebraska: worldatlas dot com/articles/what-is-the-religious-composition-of-the-adult-population-of-nebraska dot html  
-The writers for Doctor Strange confirmed that the writing was based on both Eastern philosophy and Christianity twitter dot com/Massawyrm/status/987829145911652352?s=03  
-I might only watch Daredevil Season 3 at the end of the year so it would be spoiler free from that season. In fact this story started from the end of Season 2 and doesn't include the events from the Defenders onward.


	12. The Friendly Neighborhood Ghost

-Unbetaed and non native speaker so please kindly point out any mistakes  
-Happy Valentine's Day. Since it's a universal kind of love, I bring you the gift of these two idiotic friends interacting.

* * *

Matt had been in bliss for the last forty minutes. He found out that the Sanctum was a great place for meditation because there was hardly any noise coming in. Either sound absorbent material were used to line the walls or some spells had been used to remove outside noise. He suspected it was the latter but he really didn't want to think too much about magic.

There was a misconception that meditation should be done in a quiet place. However great meditators throughout the ages (at least from what he read) could meditate anytime and anywhere even when they were doing some chores or daily activities. Matt wouldn't call himself a great meditator. With his super sensitive hearing, he appreciated quietness whenever he could.

"Hi, Matt."

Matt was startled as a voice materialized in front of him. His first instinct was to threw his Billy Club at the source of the voice. Instead of hitting the source of the voice which was just three feet away, the Club hit the opposite wall which was ten feet away with resounding clang.

"I guess I'm lucky that I'm incorporeal and nothing valuable is placed in that area. Otherwise, Wong will scold me again."

"Stephen?!"

"In the flesh. Well, not literally. But yes, it's me Stephen. The idiot who got himself impaled twelve days ago."

"But I heard your heartbeats two floor above. How could you be here?"

"Sorry, I forgot to tell you that I could astral project myself. I was bored …"

"You what?"

"Bored."

"No, before that."

"I astral project myself as in pushing my astral body out of my physical body. You must have heard of it before."

"I've heard some stories about them but I don't know if it's real."

"You've fought undead ninjas. New York was literally attacked by aliens five years ago. I have the Cloak of Levitation and you draw your limit at astral projection."

Matt sighed. "I guess since you're involved, anything _strange_ is possible. Are vampires, werewolves, demons, angels, unicorns real too?"

"Yes, yes, yes, not sure, maybe. I haven't met the last two so I can't confirm nor deny."

"How about Santa?"

"Of course he's not real."

Matt fake gasped. "Stephen, how could you ruin a child's hope like that?"

"Well, I'm the Grinch. They'd better learn the truth early on. Anyway, what were you doing? Meditating?"

"Yes and you were interrupting."

"Sorry." At least Stephen sounded sheepish now. "I really shouldn't interrupt your meditation but I was bored. I didn't expect such a reaction from you."

"The interruption is fine but _never_ ever scare me like that again. Usually I can hear people's heartbeats literally when they are miles away so I don't usually get surprised. You're lucky that you're incorporeal, I can't believe I'm saying this, otherwise you could have seriously got hurt by my club."

"It's creepy but kinda cool that you can hear people's heartbeat so you literally know where people are."

"Say someone who astral projects himself at 8 am in the morning."

"Touché"

"Could you please pretend to sit down? It's eery to hear your voice hovering above me."

"Sorry."

He went to retrieve his billy club. As he sat cross legged back on his chair, Matt could hear that Stephen's voice was at his ear levels now so he must have crouched or sit or whatever astral form did. It was not like he had something to compare as a reference.

"So how was an astral body different from a corporeal body? I can't believe we're having this talk at 8 am in the morning."

"Well, life is _strange_. Yes, two can play at that game of pun.I think the're different cases for astral projections. Something it is just people's consciousness leaves the body without taking any form. For my case, my astral projection is just like my physical body but transparent."

Matt grinned. "So you're like Casper, the friendly neighborhood ghost."

"That's a mixed up metaphor. You got me confused with Spider-Man. I'm not friendly though." He gasped. "You've watched Casper?!"

"You fished me from your dumpster so you're friendly enough. I was not born blind and I loved that movie. So can anybody see your projection?"

"If I choose to. It depends. Sometime it's better to stay invisible. But right now, I'm visible so you won't be shocked."

"Yes, that totally benefits me. Thank you for your consideration."

"Ow, I forgot that you're blind. Sorry again. I put my face in my palms right now because otherwise you won't know what I'm doing as you can't hear my heartbeart or movement or whatever your hearing can pick up."

"Don't worry. I was being sarcastic. Thanks for the description though because even with a corporeal body, I can't always tell people's gestures. Are you allowed to astral project though? I thought Wong said no magic for seven days."

"What Wong doesn't know won't hurt him."

"But it could hurt you. Stephen, I can't believe I'm saying this. Go back to your body or I'm telling Wong."

"You're no fun."

"Somebody needs to be the responsible one in this household and I can't believe it's me. If Foggy knows, I will never hear the end of it. Stephen, go back to your body. I have Wong's number on speed dial. Voice activated of course."

"I've been stuck in bed for twelve days. Could you please allow me a few minutes out of my bed?"

"You were not even conscious for the first ten days so technically it was only two days."

"A few minutes please."

"Fine. I'll give you five minutes then I'm calling Wong. I can go to your bedroom to chat if you're that bored."

"Ten minutes."

"Five minutes."

"Nine minutes."

"Five minutes and the clock is ticking so you'd better enjoy your out of body experience rather than arguing with me. Please remember who is the lawyer here."

"Hey, I'm a master at bargaining."

"So I heard. But you didn't exactly win at that time, did you?"

"Well, we don't live in the Dark Dimension so I consider it as a win."

Matt remembered about Stephen's nightmare on the first night he got impaled. "We all should be thankful about that. Do you want to spend the rest of your four minutes talking about that or do you want to do something more fun?"

"What do you have in mind?"

"Well, we can talk about anything after you return to your body. If I were you, I would travel or fly or walk or glide or whatever astral body does to move from one spot to another to explore the house since you have been stuck in bed for a while. But in three and a half minutes time you should return to your body. I'll know because I'm going to your room and wait for you to wake up. If you are late for one second, I'm calling Wong."

Stephen sighed. "I guess I'll check out if there is any new book in the study to read then. I may need your help to retrieve the books for me."

"Sure. See you in three minutes and twenty seconds." With that, Matt ran up to Stephen's bedroom.

* * *

 **Notes:**

-I wasn't making up the "Meditate Anytime, Anywhere". If you google it, there are plenty of meditation techniques related to this. For example: lifehack dot org/articles/lifestyle/the-5-minute-guide-to-meditation-anywhere-anytime dot html  
-For people who are serious about learning meditation, they can go to the nearest Tergar Meditation Centre tergar dot org/programs/what-is-the-joy-of-living/ Usually it's free as I learned from there too.  
-Canonically in the comic (I forget which Daredevil's issue), Stephen is one of the very few people who can surprise Matt.  
-I was told that all my stories stop at chapter 11 so here I'm adding one more chapter to break the pattern :)  
-Please let me know what you think about this story or chapter. Or if you want to ask some info about meditation.


End file.
